A new “play-to-earn” game promising $1 million in crypto prizes ties gameplay to President Donald Trump’s $TRUMP meme coin potentially boosting demand for the slumping token even as House Democrats labeled $TRUMP “an acceleration of the conflict-of-interest concerns underlying the President’s earlier crypto ventures.”
Key facts
- The X account for Trump’s meme coin, $TRUMP, promoted “The Official Trump Mobile Game, Trump Billionaires Club,” on Dec. 9, directing followers to join a waitlist for the game.
- The mobile- and web-based game features a “Monopoly”-style board in which players build real estate empires and “uses $TRUMP coin for all in-game activity,” offering a $1 million pool of prizes denominated in the token, according to its website.
- The $TRUMP meme coin is down about 93% from the all-time high of $73.43, which it reached shortly after launching, trading at $5.14 as of 10 p.m. EST on Wednesday, according to CoinGecko.
- Freedom45Games LLC, a company registered in Wyoming that appears linked to longtime Trump associate Bill Zanker, produces the game, licensing Trump’s name, image and likeness, according to corporate filings and disclosures on the game’s website.
- Open Loot provides the game’s digital marketplace in September, the company announced a pivot toward “fewer, more strategic partnerships,” including a “mobile pet-collecting adventure” and a “competitive, high-stakes strategy title” that seems to match the description of the new Trump game.
- Spokespeople for the Trump Organization, Freedom45Games and Open Loot did not respond to inquiries; Zanker could not be reached for comment; and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Forbes in a statement (that’s now become boilerplate), “The media’s continued attempts to fabricate conflicts of interest are irresponsible and reinforce the public’s distrust in what they read. The president has never engaged, and will never engage, in conflicts of interest.”
Will Trump billionaires club reverse $trump’s downward slide?
So far, news of the game and the increased utility it adds to the token has had little impact on its price. Before the game was announced, $TRUMP was trading near $5.67. Trading volume jumped after the announcement but has since subsided, according to CoinGecko.
Chief critic
Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee warned that the $TRUMP meme coin intensifies conflict-of-interest concerns surrounding the president’s crypto ventures, arguing in a November report that the token’s value was “irrevocably tied” to Trump’s return to the presidency rather than any inherent utility. Because meme coins derive much of their value “from social media momentum and celebrity association,” the committee said, the project raises consumer-protection concerns and reflects what it described as a broader pattern of exploitative behavior in the crypto market.
Key background
Meme coins are cryptocurrencies often driven by online hype and celebrity attention, rather than underlying products or backing by traditional assets. Trump launched his coin three days before taking office. CIC Digital, which Trump wholly owns, and another company named Fight Fight Fight retained ownership of 80% of the coins, which are scheduled to be released over the next three years, according to the coin’s website. The companies also collect revenue from trading activity. Trump’s meme coin made headlines in May when the top holders were awarded a dinner with Trump at his D.C.-area golf course and a White House tour. Freedom45Games LLC was registered in Wyoming in July 2024. It uses the same registered agent and virtual office address as other LLCs connected to Zanker, a longtime business partner of Trump’s who is reportedly affiliated with Fight Fight Fight. Freedom45Games does not appear to have launched any other products.
Big number
$1.03 billion: $TRUMP’s market cap as of 10 p.m. EST on Wednesday, according to CoinGecko.
How Trump makes money while president
The president can earn income from his businesses while in office through the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, the same vehicle he used during his first term. He is the trust’s sole donor and beneficiary, while Donald Trump Jr. serves as the trustee, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and prior Trump Organization statements. The Trump Organization confirmed in an April regulatory filing in the United Kingdom that Trump retains control over his businesses while in office.
Crucial quote
“$TRUMP is integrated into the economy,” the game’s website reads. “Players can deposit or spend it directly, and premium currency can be converted into $TRUMP.”
What to watch for
Trump Billionaires Club is expected to be released on Dec. 30, according to Apple’s App Store. Any revenue Trump earns from the game or $TRUMP trading activity should appear on his next federal financial disclosure. That’s due May 15, 2026, although extensions could delay it until mid-August. Also, it remains to be seen if the game meaningfully increases demand for the $TRUMP token.
News peg
Any restraint Trump showed in profiting off the presidency during his first term has vanished in his second. Trump’s second term has seen three new ways Trump Media & Technology Group, World Liberty Financial and the $TRUMP meme coin for allies, favor seekers, foreign firms and governments and pretty much anyone else to direct massive amounts of money to the president’s business empire. On the cheaper end, the online Trump Store, which largely shied away from co-opting the presidency in his first term, has launched a 45-47 collection. A Trump-licensed beer pong set has slapped the presidential seal on cheap plastic balls, possibly in violation of a federal law restricting its commercial use. Trump’s net worth has jumped about $2 billion in the past year, according to Forbes’ estimates, driven largely by crypto ventures.
Tangent
Open Loot CEO Ari Meilich previously co-founded Decentraland, whose MANA token was alleged by the SEC to be an unregistered security without a relevant exception in filings against crypto exchanges as recently as 2024. The SEC’s allegations came in cases against third-party exchanges it did not bring enforcement actions directly against Decentraland. Following Trump’s inauguration in January 2025, the agency moved to dismiss the cases containing those allegations. Representatives of Open Loot and Decentraland did not respond to inquiries, while an SEC spokesperson declined to comment.
Surprising fact
In February, an LLC wholly owned by the president through his revocable trust applied to trademark “Trump” for possible use across dozens of crypto- and tech-related products with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The applications include virtual goods such as digital collectibles, footwear and cologne. It appears at least some of those items are set to appear in Trump Billionaires Club, as a trailer for the game included a sneaker among the game’s “iconic pieces.”
Forbes valuation
Forbes estimates Donald Trump is currently worth $6.3 billion.
